Carefully, Justin carried Tareth into the bedroom and set her down on the queen-sized bed. He couldn’t take his gaze off her. She was pregnant. With his child. No wonder she’d acted less focused and more tired than usual. He’d sensed something different about her but hadn’t been able to pinpoint it, and he hadn’t wanted to ask. Her feelings had been more easily hurt lately, and the pregnancy explained that as well.

No wonder she’d seemed to glow. He’d heard pregnant women described as “glowing,” but when he’d seen it with Tareth he’d assumed it was just because she was his and he couldn’t help seeing her as beautiful no matter what. That was certainly part of it, but pregnancy explained it as well.

He stood looking down at her, his beautiful mate, and a well of love so strong it almost brought him to his knees rushed through him. She was pregnant. They would have a child together. Nothing could have made him happier.

It wouldn’t be easy raising a child in the midst of a werewolf pack, but they would make it work.

She smiled, though she looked a bit nervous. “Why are you just staring at me?”

“Because I can’t believe you’re carrying our child,” he said. “I didn’t think I could possibly love you any more or find you any more attractive, and I was wrong.”

“Come here and show me instead of just saying it.” She lay back against the pillows and held out her arms.

Justin went to her embrace and lay entwined with her, trying to get closer to her though it wasn’t possible. She held him tightly, and the bond between them grew even stronger than it had been. His eyes watered and he didn’t try to hold back the tears. In front of his pack, an alpha couldn’t afford any display of emotion, but he wasn’t an alpha now.

He was a man who’d just learned he was going to be a father, and he knew no better reason than to feel an overwhelming sense of joy.